FS650 to a FE650

FS suspension is shorter by 50mm at the forks and 11mm at the shock, the valving I suspect is also different though I haven't pulled down the shim stacks yet to check.
I suspect the FS suspension will not work very well in the dirt. The FS rear wheel will be too wide for a dirt tyre and you will need a spare wheel or a respoke, the FS front brake will be too powerful for the dirt.

The easiest way I have found to convert is to buy a 2000-2003 bike which is damaged or just cheap and use the wheels, suspension and front brake. The cost of the 01 400 I bought covered those components alone and then as a bonus I also got spare plastics, seat, pegs etc.

As far as I know it's only the -04 FS that has the lower suspension.
The -06 FS is higher than a -02 FE with SM wheels...

The internals is way differnet on the FS compared to the FE, it's possible to make an FS drivable on dirt roads (loosen the compression damping all the way out) but it will still be harsh.
Where you spend most of your time should tell you which of the bikes you choose.

As Craigy said, the SM brakes will be too powerfull in the dirt.
Another thing to remember is that the brake disc is 310mm in diameter and you will have to be careful were you plant your front wheel so you don't hit a rock with that large diameter disc.
Kinda takes the fun out of it doesn't it? :wink:

If you put a 21" front wheel on the FS you have to put some shims (somewhere between4-6mm) on both the wheel and the brake disc otherwise the brake caliper will scrub against the spokes.

310mm=12.2"
4mm=0.157"
6mm=0.236"

Hope this also helps

/Ghost

Hey Guys,

I know it's annoying to answer a question with a question but here goes anyway:

Do SMs not get ridden on dirt anyway? Are they not, at least in part, designed to work on dirt sections?

Of course they are! On a real SM we do stupid speeds on dirt sections at times and we jump jumps, some of which are as bad as your typical MX jump.

SMs are of course optimised for tarmac but they will work fine on dirt for trail or enduro riding, they just might not be as great as the oem enduro.

My advice would be to get yourself your set of off road wheels and a 2 pot front caliper and go out and enjy it. Then, if you find the suspension not good enough you can look around for some second hand stuff.

But you don't need all of it to start off and have a load of fun.

Hope this helps,
Simon

Streethawk said:

Thanks for the info/advice Craigy. Used Husabergs seem few and far between here in Alberta, Canada. I'll keep looking for an FE for now.

Click to expand...

Its a better choice to buy a FE, and then look for a set of Supermoto wheels.
The suspension set-up for Supermoto is diffrent but you get close with compr and rebound set near max.
The other thing to look out for is the swing arm, on FS its much shorter, if you fit a 18" or 19" MX wheel in the supermoto swingarm, the chain adjuster have to be far out due to the wheel hits the plastic guard otherwise.

Its easy to find the 6piston caliper (2004) that is "bolt on" to the FE forks.
To buy a second hand 17" wheels there is more to chose from, then you can find a5.00" rear wheel, which make a better profile on the tire.
//Thomas